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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. track — to keep track
  3. plane — a tool
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. staff — a stick
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. track — a path
  10. bat — the animal
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. field — for sport
  13. field — a subject
  14. staff — employees
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. track — a song
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. roll — a cake
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. field — farmland
  24. roll — a list

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com